The New York Jets finally snapped their brutal 0-7 start to the season and did so in the most unexpected way. Aaron Glenn’s first NFL win as head coach came courtesy of a thrilling 39-38 road win against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Week 8 Final
 |
 |
|---|---|
After a week of uncertainty under center, Tyrod Taylor, nursing a knee injury, did not make the trip to Cincinnati, paving the way for Justin Fields to start at quarterback.
The Bengals struck first, as Joe Flacco led a methodical opening drive that ended with a field goal after the Jets’ defense held firm near the red zone.
On New York’s first offensive series, the Jets advanced toward midfield and opted to go for it on fourth-and-short. A toss to Breece Hall was quickly shut down, setting up a short field that Cincinnati capitalized on with a drive capped by a Flacco quarterback sneak for a touchdown.
The Bengals extended their lead on their next possession when Flacco connected deep with Tee Higgins for a 44-yard touchdown.
The Jets responded with a score of their own, as Fields found Tyler Johnson on a 15-yard fade, trimming the deficit to 17-10.
After being benched at halftime in last week’s loss to the Panthers, Fields responded with a sharp start, completing all six of his first pass attempts for 72 yards and a touchdown while adding 15 rushing yards on four carries.
With 1:15 remaining in the second quarter, Flacco found running back Chase Brown for a 19-yard touchdown. The Jets’ defense missed multiple tackles on the play, allowing Cincinnati to extend its lead to 24-10.
With just over a minute remaining in the half and two timeouts in hand, Fields guided the Jets down to the Bengals’ 6-yard line. After two incomplete throws to the end zone, New York settled for a field goal, cutting the deficit to 24-13 at halftime.
Fresh out of the half, the Jets collected a few first downs and showed some promise before stalling out and being forced to punt the ball to Cincinnati, which went for Austin McNamara’s second touchback of the season.
The Jets’ defense held firm, forcing Flacco and the Bengals’ offense into a three-and-out.
Jets running back Isaiah Davis displayed his NFL-caliber explosiveness throughout the game, highlighted by a 50-yard run on first down following a scramble by Fields, which set New York up across the Bengals’ 30-yard line.
Ultimately, Gang Green was forced to settle for a field goal after three consecutive incompletions inside the 10-yard line.
Nick Folk converted the kick to reduce Cincinnati’s lead to one score, 24-16, with 6:12 remaining in the third quarter.
The Jets had a chance to force a fourth down but missed multiple sack opportunities behind the line, and allowed the veteran single caller to scramble for 12 yards and pick up a first down on third-and-12.
Moments later, after Azareye’h Thomas nearly intercepted a pass while in tight coverage on Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati extended its lead to 31-16 on a 32-yard touchdown run by Samaje Perine, which included a missed tackle from rookie safety Malachi Moore.
A 35-yard run by Breece Hall set the Jets up inside the Bengals’ 20-yard line with under a minute remaining in the third quarter.
Hall capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown, his first of the season. Fields then escaped pressure and scrambled for the two-point conversion, trimming Cincinnati’s lead to 31-25 with 14:17 left in the fourth quarter.
Not for long, though.
The Bengals quickly regained control, wearing down the Jets’ defense with a relentless rushing attack. New York couldn’t slow them down, and the drive ended with a Chase Brown touchdown run that extended Cincinnati’s lead to 38-24 with 10:21 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Jets opened the drive with strong field position at their own 40-yard line, after a great return from Isaiah Williams.
Facing a fourth-and-1 near midfield, Justin Fields connected with tight end Jeremy Ruckert for a 25-yard gain. On the next play, Breece Hall broke free for a 27-yard touchdown run.
Rather than kicking the extra point to cut the deficit to seven, head coach Aaron Glenn kept the offense on the field for a two-point try, and Fields’ pass to Isaiah Davis was good to make it just a six-point game, 38-32 in the Bengals’ favor with 7:52 left in the game.
The Jets’ defense did its part, forcing a three-and-out capped by a sack from Will McDonald, his third of the season and first since Week 1.
On the first play of the drive, Justin Fields connected with fourth-round rookie Arian Smith for a 23-yard gain to move the offense across midfield. Breece Hall followed with a 10-yard run to pick up another first down.
Facing third-and-1 with 4:23 remaining, Fields converted on a quarterback sneak.
As the clock ticked under 2:30, Fields found tight end Mason Taylor for a first down, setting up a goal-to-go situation just before the two-minute warning.
The drive ended in dramatic fashion, as Breece Hall threw a touchdown pass, yes, a passing touchdown, to Mason Taylor, his third total score of the day. The play gave New York its first lead of the game, 39-38, with 1:54 remaining in the fourth quarter.
A clutch pass breakup by Jamien Sherwood kept the Bengals out of field-goal range, forcing Zac Taylor to use his first timeout with 37 seconds remaining on third-and-9 near midfield.
After a Flacco throwaway, Cincinnati faced one final chance on fourth down, but the Jets’ defense came through with an incompletion to seal the game.
New York secured its first win of the season, improving to 1-7 and heading into the bye week on a high note thanks to a resilient defensive effort to close the game and a strong offensive performance.
